A Beautiful Birth Story

Hi..my dear Friends….Hope you are enjoying my blogs and I also hope that they are helping you in dealing with your kids in some way or other. Well, I am back again with yet another blog but this time I want to share a very personal experience with all of you. Since its Christmas, I thought I will share with you my beautiful birth story. As you all know I am blessed with two kids…both daughters. It’s eleven years back that I had this wonderful moment of holding my first daughter. The feeling that she was mine and only mine, gave me tremendous pleasure and pride.

I am blessed with two kids…both daughters. It’s eleven years back that I had experienced this wonderful moment of holding my first daughter. The feeling that it was mine and only mine gave me tremendous pleasure and pride. At this moment when I look back and remember that day, I felt like recalling and sharing the birth story of my first daughter. This story may not be a unique one but to me it was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. Every mother has a unique story which is hers to own!

I had a normal pregnancy without much complication but less than a month before the due date, I had an unusual feeling. The feeling that my baby was not moving much. The stories narrated by my grandmothers and mothers about experiencing the kicks of the child were not happening. There were only occasional movements though very feeble in nature. I tried hard to believe that all’s well but in vain. My next visit to the doctor and the subsequent ultrasound test revealed that my baby was in breech position. This was restricting the baby’s movement and there was very little chance that the baby might take a turn.

I realized that my dream of having a normal delivery was now far from near and we had to take an immediate decision. For some time the rosy dreams of a fairytale normal delivery took a back seat, in fact the dream faded when the doctor confirmed with us the date of delivery by a ceaserean operation. I had no option left but to get prepared for the D-day. I must confess that I was nervous to the core and could not really share this with my dear husband who himself looked more helpless than me.

I clearly remember that almost half of my family members had gathered to wish me luck and their wishes and hugs made me more nervous than ever. I was being wheeled towards an experience which would change my life forever.

All my apprehensions started to fade away as I entered the operation theater. All the serious and frightening stories shared by some my elders were proving wrong as I was greeted by a team of smiling, calm and confident team of doctor, anesthetist and nurses. The modern technique offered me an option and I decided to go through partial anesthesia. I was in conscious and awake. The small injection in my spinal cord made my caesarean painless. The beautiful voice of Kishore Kumar singing over the microphone was a treat to my ears and helped me to soothe my senses. This was already a sweet surprise because who would have expected songs to be played in an OT. I couldn’t believe what was happening! Moreover, I had no time for any anxious moment since the anesthetist kept my mind occupied by his various queries regarding my family and life. It was not long before I saw the nurse standing before me holding a doll in her arms. She opened the wraps in front of me and quietly smiled…”It’s a girl”, she said. I will not be able to explain my feeling that I underwent at that very moment, but I am sure it must have been pure happiness and pride. But that was not to be the end of my surprises. The anesthetist took my husband’s mobile number and called him. He passed the phone to me and urged me to share this good news myself. To my husband’s utter astonishment and surprise, he gets a call from an unknown phone number only to hear my voice. I gave him the news of a healthy baby girl being born to us. I think I can guess his reaction…since there was no response from him for a while!

I think in the history of our families this is the first time a newborn mother was sharing the news of the birth of her child to the father who was taking nervous walks in around the OT waiting for the nurse to come out and declare the news. My husband couldn’t believe my voice and mumbled for sometime before shouting away in glory. That was the ultimate moment of togetherness and the three of us were bonded for life…forever…

What I really want to convey through my birth story is that a Caesarean section is sometimes the only choice mothers have, but it doesn’t have to be horrific. A normal vaginal delivery can be a traumatic event with the wrong healthcare team and a cesarean like mine can be a beautiful moment. We have a stereotypical image of doctors and nurses being horrific in the OT. Like there are two sides to a coin, NOT everyone is like that. There are angels amongst us and we just need to identify them. Choose your caregiver wisely and do not be afraid to shift in the last months if you feel that you are not going to be given a peaceful and treasurable birth. Every mother deserves a beautiful birth story and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.